MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) made \"important progress\" in wage negotiations with a new independent union representing several thousand workers at a GM plant in central Mexico, the auto giant told Reuters on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Reuters reported earlier this week that the union, SINTTIA, said it initially proposed a 19.2% raise, which GM countered with an offer of 3.5%. read more <\/p>\n
The pay negotiations are part of a high-profile test case for a new trade deal that seeks to close the vast gap between U.S. and Mexican wages. If SINTTIA lands a big raise for the workers in the central Mexican city of Silao, the victory could usher in similar demands at other companies, experts say.<\/p>\n
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\"The meeting was productive, both parties showed the commitment we have for the workers of GM Silao,\" the company said in a statement to Reuters.<\/p>\n
GM on Thursday did not address which wage proposals were under discussion. It said talks would continue on May 5 in an effort to reach a deal quickly.<\/p>\n
Hector de la Cueva, an adviser to SINTTIA from worker rights advocacy group CILAS, said the company took a \"less aggressive\" position and that talks moved forward. He declined to discuss specific wage proposals.<\/p>\n
SINTTIA and the U.S. automaker began talks last month after workers ousted their powerful long-time union and elected an independent group led by fellow workers, one of the first such elections under the new trade deal, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).<\/p>\n
The provisions in the 2020 deal that replaced NAFTA were meant to help Mexican workers elect unions they feel will best fight for their interests, breaking the grip of business-friendly groups that operated behind workers' backs for years as cheap labor lured companies to Mexico.<\/p>\n
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Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Sandra Maler and Lincoln Feast.<\/p>\n
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.<\/p>\n
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GM says 'progress' made in wage talks with new union in Mexico - Reuters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) made \"important progress\" in wage negotiations with a new independent union representing several thousand workers at a GM plant in central Mexico, the auto giant told Reuters on Thursday. Reuters reported earlier this week that the union, SINTTIA, said it initially proposed a 19.2% raise, which GM countered with an offer of 3.5% Continue reading